Cold wave conditions likely to abate in the next two days

New Delhi, Jan 13 (UNI) With the advent of Lohri --the harvest festival-- cold wave conditions prevailing at many places in Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh are likely to abate in the next two days.

In north-west India, cold wave persisted with the mercury staying two to four degrees Celsius below normal even as the sun was bright in the region today.

Fog reduced the visibility to 100 metres at Sarsawa, 200 metres at Adampur, 300 metres at Halwara.

Mercury dipped below normal by four degrees at Karnal, Amritsar, Ludhiana, Patiala and Srinagar, three degrees at Chandigarh, Jammu and two degrees at Ambala, Bhuntar and Shimla.

Cold wave conditions in Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh are likely to abate in the next two days, according to the Weather Office in Chandigarh. Ground frost may occur at many places in Punjab and few places in Haryana during the next two nights.

Punjab experienced cold wave with Adampur continuing to be the coldest place in the plains, recording the minimum temperature at minus 1.6 degrees Celsius, followed by Amritsar registering minus 0.3 degrees C. Ludhiana recorded 2.4 degrees, Patiala 2.6 degrees.

Haryana was also swept by cold wave with the minimum temperature two to four degrees below normal. Narnaul in Mahendergarh district experienced severe cold as the mercury dipped to zero degree Celsius. The minimum temperature at Karnal and Rohtak was 3.4 degrees, 4.6 degrees at Hissar and 4.8 degrees at Ambala.

Cold wave conditions prevailed in Chandigarh and its adjoining areas as the mercury stayed low. The city recorded the minimum at 4.0 degrees celsius which was still three degrees below normal.

In Uttar Pradesh, cold wave intensified following a dip in night temperature during the last 24 hours while train services were delayed due to fog in the state.

Cold wave lashed Faizabad, Allahabad, Kanpur, Agra, Gorakhpur, Lucknow, Jhansi, Bareilly and Varanasi divisions.

A report from the tent city of Prayag said pilgrims are facing hardships due to extreme cold wave condition sweeping through the city for the last three weeks.

In Rajasthan, cold wave conditions continue to persist with Mount Abu recording-1.6 degree Celsius.

Jaipur was at 2.4 degree, though the sun was bright.

The weatherman predicts dry and cold weather in the next 24 hours.

About a dozen persons were injured as police fired teargas shells and resorted to baton charge at Kulgam in south Kashmir to disperse people protesting against power failure even as cold wave swept the Kashmir valley.

The demonstrators alleged that after every 20 minutes there is a power failure for three to four hours.

Parts of world famous Dal Lake were again frozen this morning after the minimum temperature dipped to minus 5.9 degree.

A weather office spokesman said western disturbances from north Pakistan are hitting northern part of the valley causing snowfall on the upper reaches.

''We had snowfall last evening on the upper reaches in Gulmarg,'' he said.

The cold wave has so far claimed 109 lives in Uttar Pradesh, 19 in Punjab and Haryana, 35 in Bihar and five in North Bengal taking the nationwide toll to 168.

UNI